Spring around the Farm

Looks like spring around the farm this morning!  The snow is melting, the ice pond still has a thin layer but is probably done for the season, the trees are tapped and the sap is starting to flow….

Mother Earth-Fall in Buffalo, NY

The view of our ice pond

New York in the fall should be considered one of the “wonders of the world”.  It is spectacular.  The air is crisp and smells of leaves and frosty air, the streams, rivers and lakes are filling up offering clear and cold water, the wildlife is roaming around more freely in search of tasty treats under the fallen leaves, and the skies overhead are more blue and full of white puffy clouds than ever.

We enjoy this time of year for trail riding, hiking, 4 wheeling, and relaxing.  Here are some wonderful pictures from just one weekend on our property.  I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did living them!

Our ice pond is stunning.  It’s called the “ice pond” as it is a pond we built shallow enough so it will freeze quickly and be used for ice skating all winter long.

The leaves are such a beautiful backdrop.  I can’t get enough of their colors!

Riding the horses with the sounds of the leaves under their feet and a happy dog chasing blowing leaves.

Pumpkin sales, carving and trick or treating (Bruizer and Two Bit of the book the Outsiders) end one of the most beautiful months.

And a sneak peek at the beautiful cabin we finally have for our campground by the ice pond.  More on that in my next post……..

Cherry Season!!

It’s cherry season here. It’s a little early and unfortunately the cherries are splitting because of all the rain we have had.  But we were able to take the kids and get a good few bucket fulls of sweet beautiful cherries.

I process our cherries 3 ways to have throughout the year:

1) Canning them

2) Flash freezing

3) Cherry Pies stored in the freezer (these are just like store bought, you pull them out and bake them when ready)

You can see our recipes (and the awesome technique for pitting) on our Facebook page here:  Cherry Season

Groundhog Day? Who needs it

Groundhog day means nothing to me.  My horses let me know when it’s spring and are ALWAYS accurate.  This is a sure sign spring is here and the weather will warm up in the next 3 weeks.

Thank you Oh Great Mysty my mare for your forecast!!

Ice Fog

Ice Fog is minute ice crystals that form in the air in extremely cold temperatures.  This morning it was -9 F while driving to work and the beautiful ice fog was drifting down the river with the ice, moving along with the current.  This eventually will end up at Niagara Falls and tumble over the falls.

This is very early in our area to see this as it’s usually around the first week of February this rolls in.  Regardless it is still such a beautiful sight to behold.

A fellow blogger, who has a wonderful blog hopping from Maine to Texas, recently posted pictures of the Sea Smoke in Maine.  Take the time to visit her page here:  Lulu’s Musings Sea Smoke.    Her pictures are stunning (and her blog is fun and full of beautiful pictures and ideas).  Sea smoke is a fog that is formed when very cold air moves over warmer water.

As the ice was moving this morning the ice fog was getting thicker and was so cool to watch drifting down current as it went.

Mother Nature’s beauty at her best on a very cold morning with the beautiful sun highlighting every detail.

Enjoy your Sunday

Reflections and Beginnings

This was the sky this morning reflecting on the ice pond on a day that many use to reflect. We have had a pretty great year in our home with many many things to reflect upon and be thankful for.

I don’t make resolutions on this night.  There are basically two things I try to remember and work towards with the beginning of a fresh new year.  The first is to keep negativity out of my life be it with people, situations, and mindsets.  I don’t like to let negativity in.  The second is to be content.  Being content with what you have, who you are, who your children are and where you are going in life leads to a certain calmness and peacefulness in your days.

So with the beginning of this New Year, I would like to say thank you to all my followers for being a part of our journey in life and wish you all much happiness, peace, and a content mind in 2015!!!!!

Happy New Year

Isn’t it winter???

This is our ice rink behind our horse pastures.  This rink should be frozen and we should be skating on it!!  I mean it is December in Buffalo, NY right????

Apparently Mother Nature has other plans this year or is feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

This is what the ice rink should look like

Maybe this will serve as a boost to Mother Nature to get her butt in gear!!!!  We are ready for winter 🙂

Farm life in the Fall

Martha on top roost and Cherry below all nestled in from the wind and rain

Fall is my favorite season.  But with fall comes cold temperatures, windy days, less daylight and MUD everywhere.  The chickens stop laying eggs consistently, the goats only roam out of their house for short periods and will spend time in their outdoor hut which offers protection from the wind and a full view of the house and yard, and the horses spend many days in their stalls and walkout areas as wet mud is not good for their feet and legs all day.

I like to keep things as natural as possible for our animals.  The goats have a hill and rocks to climb in their pen.  They have grass and trees as well.  The horses have 12×12 stalls and outside the stalls are walkout areas made of stone and rubber matting so they can walk and stretch their legs all day and night.  The chickens free range so get to be in their natural habitat all day.  Some farmers keep a light on in their coops to “trick” their chickens into thinking it’s daylight longer and they will produce more eggs.  I prefer to only use a red heat lamp and let their bodies act naturally during the winter months.

This is our hen Grrr having a drink of water that contains apple cider vinegar to keep her healthy all winter long

This is our hen Catness. She likes to roost on the highest part of the house

Some days I will let the horses out when the ground is slightly frozen in the morning.  However as the day progresses and the ground warms up, this is what you get:

Our paint mare, Mysty decided to enjoy the mud!! Bad horse!

And this week I am dog and chicken sitting for a neighbor.  Her chickens are full of personality.

They are spoiled like our chickens and enjoy hot oatmeal, fresh salad, tomatoes and some nice yogurt during the cold days.  These are all young hens born in the spring and they are still laying eggs.  The perk of this job is the eggs I get to bring home every day!

And while it’s much more work it’s also great to spend some “me” time on a nice ride through the bare trails on my oldest horse Bailey.

Wet and muddy on those trails but worth it!!

Mud, water, and ice spots line the trail

And about now I am ready for the change of season with its snow and frozen ground!!

First 2014 Snow Storm

We have had our first blast of snow for the 2014 Winter season and it was/is a doozy.  It is still going on all around us.  It has stayed a little to the south of our little Island so we only have about 3 inches so far.  We are supposed to get more later tonight and into tomorrow morning.

It started coming down and picked up speed covering many areas all over Buffalo, NY.

Plow crews from all over are dedicating their time to different towns and areas.  This is Lancaster, NY and the photo is courtesy of a Grand Island town employee who traveled the 25 minutes to help dig this area out.

In other areas sadly people are snowed in (the man of the house’s parents are one of them).  They can’t get out their doors to even begin the shoveling process.  But they are much better off than the people who are dealing with the weight of the snow crashing through their windows and collapsing their roof.

Here is a link to more snow pictures:  Buffalo, NY snow

And while this is a huge nuisance, I can’t complain as we are toasty with our woodburner, stocked with animal feed for the farm, have a pantry filled with canned goods and a freezer jam packed with meats, frozen fruits, and homemade pies just in case we get hit like the other areas!